Media gets tour of City of El Paso’s Migrant Welcome Center

EL PASO, Texas -- City officials gave members of the media a tour of the Migrant Welcome Center in northeast El Paso.

The center is managed by the City of El Paso and the Office of Emergency Management.

The Borderland has seen an increase in migrants from Venezuela, placing a strain on the area's shelter system.

The processing center opened last Tuesday. City officials told ABC-7 close to 300 migrants are processed there daily.

Official said 50 staff members were hired to help out at the processing center.

The migrants don't stay at the center overnight, but rather officials work to get them out of the city the same day.

Migrants who are still in the city are taken to other NGOs or hotels while they wait to depart the city.

At the processing center, different stations are set up to help process the migrants quicker.

Some stations help with the intake process, others help with travel accommodations.

City officials have been picking up migrants from El Paso streets and taking them to the center. Others are being dropped off at the center directly with the help of federal officials.

City leaders said half of the migrants that arrive have sponsors, the other half are unsponsored.

Those that are sponsored typically choose New York as their final destination.

The city said a total of eight charter buses left El Paso on Friday.